US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned on Tuesday against any “destabilizing” actions in Taiwan ahead of a trip to China by President Donald Trump and called on Beijing to also increase pressure on Iran.
Trump is has planned to make the first visit of his second term to China next week, a trip he delayed after leading the United States in a joint strike alongside Israel against Iran.
Rubio, speaking to reporters at the White House, said he was confident Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping would discuss Taiwan, the self-governing democratic island claimed by Beijing.
“I think both countries understand that it’s not in either of our interests to see something destabilizing happen in that part of the world,” Rubio told reporters.
“We don’t need any destabilizing events to happen with regard to Taiwan or anywhere in the Indo-Pacific, and I think that’s to the mutual benefit of the United States and China,” Rubio said.
China has increased its military presence around Taiwan in recent years and has held large-scale military exercises.
While the United States has an unclear policy on whether to defend Taiwan, its military appears increasingly stretched as resources shift from Asia to the Iran war.
Rubio, who has never visited China, was an outspoken critic of Beijing’s human rights record while a senator, championing legislation that brought sanctions on Beijing’s alleged use of forced labor by the Uyghur minority.
The Trump administration has largely downplayed human rights, preferring to focus on promoting what it sees as core US interests, such as trade.
Asked if Trump would raise human rights, Rubio said: “I think we’ve proven in some cases that it’s more effective to raise them in the right context. But we always raise those issues.”
Call to put pressure on Iran
Rubio also called on China to pressure Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who was leaving for Beijing on Tuesday.
Iran has exerted control over the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil once passed, in retaliation for the attack by the United States and Israel.
China has been by far the largest buyer of Iranian oil, defying sanctions unilaterally imposed by Trump since his first term against any country that is a client of Tehran.
“I hope the Chinese tell him (Araghchi) what he needs to be told, which is that what you’ve been doing in the straits is isolating you globally,” Rubio said.
“You’re the bad guy in this,” he said. “You guys shouldn’t blow up ships.”
The United States has also blown up ships. The US military said on Monday it had destroyed six small Iranian boats, accusing them of posing shipping threats.
During the war, an American submarine capsized an Iranian frigate in Sri Lanka, killing 104 sailors while American forces left them to drown.
